Life in the text lane...
Who reading this article is guilty of using their phone
whilst walking and in particular crossing busy roads? GUILTY. Though we claim
that our lives are getting busier and busier, we still find time to mindlessly
check facebook and instragram numerous times a day. In fact, recent studies have shown that people
check their phones up to 150 times a day (Woollaston, 2013). And as we are so
time poor, many people carry out the unsafe habit of texting whilst on the
move. This is leading to a rise in the amount of unnecessary injuries due to
distracted people walking into trams, cars, bikes and other pedestrians. In
2013, a study at the Ohio State University found that distracted walking
injuries in the US are rising fast, with, 1506 recorded in the US emergency
rooms in 2010, up from 256 in 2005 (Benedictus, 2014).
To combat this issue, Washington DC undertook a social
experiment trialling a ‘phone lane’, which involved dividing the footpath into
lanes marked 'no cellphone' on the left and 'cellphones: walk in this lane at
your own risk' on the right (AFP, 2013). Unfortunately, the social experiment
failed, with mobile phone users walking where they liked. And if they did notice
the line markings, taking a selfie with it. The idea was also implemented in
Chongqing City, China, however, it was reported that people didn’t particularly
pay attention to the signage and were walking freely into traffic on the road.
In Melbourne, there have been several accidents where
distracted phone users have been hit by trams or cyclists. So what is the
solution? As a social experiment the ‘phone lane’ failed. But lets be honest,
how is a lane without barriers going to stop a distracted person on their smart
phone from walking into danger.
Perhaps it is a matter of redesigning the street to be more
like a bowling alley with the bumper bars up, so like the bowling ball, people
can’t stray off course. Perhaps we could
put electric fences up along the kerb so that people get a zap before they step
out across the road.
On a more serious note, perhaps there should be a fine
introduced for people texting whilst crossing roads. The Utah Transit Authority
has introduced a $50 fine for distracted walking in the vicinity of trains (Benedictus,
2014).
Or, perhaps an app needs to be invented that warns you of danger
ahead, vibrating when you’re about to hit something (Benedictus, 2014). Genius.
What do you think?
To read the complete story head to the following links:
By Julia Bell, Senior Urban Designer
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